Rants -- May 4, 2008 -- I said, "This week's edition was all hosed up because the Blog Carnival site went down for untold hours. No explanation. No apology. I guess I got what I paid for (it's free)."

Kids and Money -- May 2, 2008 -- saying at the time, "I don't know about you, but temporary in computer terms usually means a couple of hours. It's been at least 8 hours now...and counting."

So that's a short bit of history for you on my experience with BC. I will tell you that I love the concept, and when it works, it's fabulous. But those accounts up there? They are just a few. Many times, I didn't write about the site being down. I just sucked it up and waited. It's over now.

The best part about it all is that there's really no way to contact the site's keepers. When their "database is unavailable" their whole business seems to cease to function. The ONLY thing that "works" (used loosely) is their home page, which redirects to the "Our database is temporarily unavailable" message page.

I don't know of any alternatives, but you can bet I'll be looking...starting NOW.

So, F$%k them. If I have to stop running these carnivals, I will. I apologize to you, the folks that send in the AWESOME Rants here (and the Kids & Money posts at my companion site). You make it all worthwhile and I'll try to find another way. I mean, it's more inconvenient for you, not me. When you have something really bugging you and you want to RANT about it, you want to submit a post, but you can't.

But I'm not dealing with these guys anymore. Just not worth the headache.

There's one week left for John McCain and Barack Obama to make their pleas to the American voting public. Who's leading, who's going to win, and what will be the reasons for the win and the loss? After all, somebody will win. With every winner in an election, or any game for that matter, there's a loser.

On paper, if you didn't know anything about American politics, you'd think John McCain would be a shoe-in and Barack Obama would be a long-shot. And I guess a year ago, that might have been the case.

Virtues of John McCain:

Combat-tested

Long-time pubic servant

Navy veteran

Tortured for years while POW in Vietnam. Survived.

Co-author of McCain-Feingold bill, which became law

Drawbacks of Barack Obama

Strange name. Barack Hussein Obama

Very little national political experience

Black

"Associated with terrorists"

Now, you see I've stacked the deck in McCain's favor. Like I said, on paper, Senator McCain is eons ahead of Senator Obama. If Obama loses, it will be because of those detriments listed above. And if McCain loses, it will be because of those virtues listed above.

But that's on paper. Or in black and white bits or pixels.

Surprisingly, Barack Obama is leading in most polls, on both national polls and in the state polls. He's also ahead in most battleground states.

How will he lose? I'm not being flippant; I'm afraid the Democrats will find yet another way to lose. Will it be because Obama is a socialist, comparable to Karl Marx or Upton Sinclair? Or will it be because of the taxes he'll raise? Might it be because Obama is going to nationalize health care?

All of these "reasons" are bunk. Obama's tax plan is comparable, in effect, to McCain's. In fact, more people will benefit from Obama's plan than McCain's. Obama is no socialist. Hell, he's not even French! And finally, health care will not be nationalized. He just wants all of us to have the same choices as he gets as a senator. Why shouldn't you? Damn, remember, WE are Congress' employer! Why should the owners of business be given inferior choices in employment terms like salary, health care, and retirement plans?

Interestingly, Obama is more pro-America than John McCain. He wants to encourage American businesses to create American jobs! Imagine that! Country First! What a bunch of crap the McCain camp spews about this!

How will he do this? He'll give tax credits! Hot damn. Republican tax tactics being used by the Democrat. And the Black Democrat, no less. It really sucks when the "If you can't beat 'em crowd" joins 'em.

Nevertheless, it all boils down to whether McCain and the Squealer can tear Obama down enough to whittle away the lead Obama and Biden have (and, oh, please, don't let Biden talk any more).

You may be able to tell by my previous posts that I like Barack Obama and despise John McCain. Oh, as people, they're probably both okay. But from a presidential perspective, there's really only one choice. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of questions I have about Obama, first among them is "How do you propose to do all of this without spending us into debt from which we can never recover?"

That is to say, if President Bush hadn't beaten him to the punch (under President Bush, the national debt has doubled, from $5 trillion and trending down, to over $10 trillion and decidedly never trending down again).

I heard some nitwit on TV today saying that none of our enemies was afraid of Barack Obama and that all of them were afraid of John McCain. First, tell me how this matters? Second, the problem is that all of our allies are afraid of John McCain, too! Thanks to my wife for that insight.

I've spoken with quite a few of my friends who have always voted Republican and they're voting for Barack. Or at least they say they are (google Bradley effect). It's not so much that they're impressed with Obama as they are depressed about McCain's ineptitude. I hear that the McCain camp is already looking for ways to blame Sarah Palin for the loss. Funny how that works -- they picked her!

Though I find her increasingly reprehensible, not to mention annoying with that stupid accent, I think she added to the Republican presidential ticket. That's really not saying much, though. It really shows just how far in the hole the started.

It's somewhat astonishing to me how poorly the Republicans have run this campaign. And it's mind-blowingly amazing that the Democrats haven't found a way to lose.

But there's still time! A lot can happen in a week (+). Obama's lead is somewhat protected because of early voting, however. A lot of folks have already voted and no matter what happens in the next week or so, nothing can change their vote.

I certainly hope I'm wrong about my apprehension about Barrack Obama. I, too, hope I'm wrong about my prediction on another web site about Obama's 8 percent handicap because he's black (I don't think he's inferior at all; but a lot of Americans do). Barack Obama gives me the same sort of feelings I had when I was a youngster and fell in political love with Ronald Reagan. Reagan gave a young man a reason to feel proud about his country, that he could in fact accomplish anything he set out to do, and that America's fortune was about to turn the corner.

I feel those same things now (but only if Barack Obama wins). I'd like to see a landslide.

The thing that concerns me most about all of this, though, is the fact that Congress will become over-run by liberal spend-thrifts (again, not like the Republican-controlled Congress was any better) like Nancy Pelosi and Tin Man Harry Reid. I don't think I could ever fully express my utter displeasure with those two inept idiots. My only hope is that Obama leads the country in the right direction, unlike "Wrong Way W."

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The BoBo presents McCain can still win with the right strategy! posted at The BoBo Files, saying, "If McCain follows a hard hitting tactic in the debate and the remaining days - perhaps the people might actually decide to take a look into Obama's history..or..better yet, maybe the MSM might actually do a story about Obama that doesn't call those who oppose him a racist!"
Indian presents 2009 Horoscope - Astrology posted at DecisionCare, saying, "Find out how Obama/McCain will do next year based on their sign. 2009 Horoscope forecast and astrology predictions."

DWSUWF presents President Jed Bartlett Endorses Divided Government.Divided We Stand United We Fall, saying, "Barack Obama will fit somewhere between Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush in the One Party Rule Power Abuse Rankings. Somehow that seems appropriate. My casual observation is that the amount of damage done by One Party Rule correlates primarily to the number of years the Rule is in place, and whether the party in power has a filibuster proof 60-40 majority. So there is some cause for hope that the damage can be limited in the next two years."

GrrlScientist presents I get eMail posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "The Blue States want to secede from the Union, and leave the Red States to their own devices. Here's the official letter from the Blue States to the Red States."

Phil B. presents The Great Waste of Pumpkins posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "It's that time of year again when a large number of Americans go to their local supermarkets and purchase a large pumpkin only to use it as a decoration for only a few weeks."

Jon Swift presents Let McCain Be McCain posted at Jon Swift, saying, "Americans don’t want a President like Obama who is calm and cool in a crisis and never seems to break a sweat. They want a President who is as angry as they are, someone who will lash out unpredictably at our enemies."

I will not deny that Sarah Palin is hot. She is on fire. But maybe the fire is intensified because she lies so much (get it, her pants are on fire).

Nevertheless, I'm not sure it's money well spent for the Republicans. $150k just doesn't go as far as it used to, when they had to give Nancy Reagan a new set of dishes.

What I want to know is, how do they get Palin to keep her trap shut long enough to put the makeup on? She's one of those chicks that is supremely hot until she talks. Then it's all downhill from there. That "hold my nose" Minnesota accent is so annoying! And that stupid smile right after she says something she knows is a lie...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

We've seen the onslaught of "Economists against Obama" but we still don't know what McCain's stance is on a lot of policy issues. Or, rather, we know his stance has changed with no visible reason for changing. Here's an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal piece a few years ago. Contrast his stance then with his stance now on the "Bush tax cuts," as an example.

Yet Mr. McCain holds the most eclectic set of economic policy positions of any politician I've ever met. He seems to defy political typecasting, reveling in the role of maverick. He voted against the Bush tax cuts ("Way too tilted to the rich"), while supporting antigrowth initiatives to combat global warming ("Climate change is just a huge problem that really needs to be confronted"), and is the lead sponsor--with Sen. Ted Kennedy--of a guest worker program to allow immigrants to enter the country legally. Any one of these landmines could blow up in Mr. McCain's face in conservative red state primaries in 2008. His 2000 presidential bid was capsized by Christian conservative primary voters in South Carolina. He readily concedes that "sometimes I have run-ins with the right-wingers in the party."

I come away believing that if I'm ever in a knife fight or in a foxhole, there is no one I'd rather have next to me than John McCain. Whether he's someone who should be steering the rudders of the American economy is a different issue altogether.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Here's McSame on a host of issues. Too bad most people only see Obama as a socialist, or a terrorist, or a black (or, worse yet! The Horror. A half breed.) man. Obama has to win by 8 points just to stay even.

Remember that figure. Obama wins only if he wins by 9. 54.5-45.5. Then the score will by 50.5-49.5. Mark my words. Eight percent of people polled who say they'll vote for Obama won't. Because he's black. That's today's handicap for being black.

Kristen McCarthy presents Organic is Next to Godliness posted at this-sustainable-life.com, saying, "Organic products have become the food of the bourgeois –and I’m not talking about the kind of food historically only available to the rich: calf liver pâtés, speckled Emu eggs, and ninety-nine dollar square watermelons –instead, I’m talking about the essential food groups that ensure our nutrition: vegetables, fruit, grains, and dairy."

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Seems that the dumbass doesn't have a plumber's license, nor does the company he supposedly wants to buy (with what?), which is counter to what the country they do business in says (you need a license).

So, we're listening to supposed "small businesses" or their agents who probably don't even pay taxes at all (they didn't pay for their license, so why pay taxes?)!!!

The freefalling markets have put enormous pressure on world leaders, many of whom are due to huddle in Washington on Friday to come to a global solution to the ailing financial systems. President Bush is scheduled to address the nation on the ongoing crisis at 10:25 a.m. EDT.

Don't you just love the timing of this? Is this so he can catch the beginning of Matlock?

NotYourDaddy presents No Federal Bailouts! posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "This country is headed for disaster because of fiscal irresponsibility at every level, encouraged by those who think the government can just manipulate the economy a little bit more, just another tweak here or another pinch there. A push here or a squeeze there. But it’s all an illusion as long as the debt keeps growing."

Tom Hanna presents How broke is it? posted at Tom Rants, saying, "A common sense conservative refrain is «If it ain't broke, don't fix it.» So now that the House of Representatives (including 90 some Democrats) have rejected the Mother of All Bailouts and the market is dealing with the news, before the next round of political tinkering we can take the time to ask «How broke is it?»"

On the grounds between the two brick colleges, the chitchat between the scion of four-star admirals and the son of a prizefighter turns to their academic travels; both colleges sponsor a trip abroad for young officers to network with military and political leaders in a distant corner of the globe.

"It's a place we're probably going to have some problems," Dramesi says.

"Why? Where are you going to, John?"

"Oh, I'm going to Rio."

"What the hell are you going to Rio for?"

McCain, a married father of three, shrugs.

"I got a better chance of getting laid."

Dramesi, who went on to serve as chief war planner for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and commander of a wing of the Strategic Air Command, was not surprised. "McCain says his life changed while he was in Vietnam, and he is now a different man," Dramesi says today. "But he's still the undisciplined, spoiled brat that he was when he went in."

Friday, October 03, 2008

A few words on the VP debate held last night. First, and least importantly, the candidates looked fabulous.

Now, it's all downhill from here. I've heard both the "left" and "right" talking about who won, who did best, who cleared the bar, where the bar was, etc.

Poppycock.

First off, Sarah Palin did better than I thought she would. She obviously studied. And it showed. This is both good and bad. Good because she didn't get crushed by the Biden intellectual juggernaut. Bad because, well, it looked like she was regurgitating a high school lesson.

Second, Palin came across as condescending. To you, it may have appeared as cool, witty, hip, or something positive, but, for me, she came across as if she thought she was better than Biden.

Third, WTF? The debate started at 8pm, St Louis local time (Central) and lasted for at least 90 minutes (seemed like days). Her family brought her "challenged" baby up. Sure, she he (thanks, Kristen!) was asleep, but why was a baby out at 10pm?

How many "hockey moms" would have their babies out that late at night? Maybe I was just seeing things.

Fourth, WTFsquared! Palin gave a "shout out" to god-only-remembers! This was not a rap performance, nor was it a cheerleading competition! OMG, have we sunk so low that this sort of crap not only is acceptably presidential, but it also resonates with the voting public?

That was too much for me.

But the thing that really got me was her insistence on ignoring every question and turning it into "what I did as mayor, governor, and regulator" or "energy" or "maverick." By my unofficial count, Palin answered one question.

This automatically gets her an "F." Of course, only my opinion. Give me a "shout out" or a "kiss my ass" in the Comments :)

I don't care how great your dissertation is on why the sky is blue if in fact the question was a word problem that started out familiarly: If a train leaves Chicago at 10am...you didn't answer the gosh-darned question!!!

Now, on to Biden. He didn't pounce. He should have cleaned her clock. I thought his breakup when he was talking about being a single dad was touching. It didn't even look scripted, though nowadays, I am so skeptical that it's always the first thing I think.

Finally, Biden's BS about frequenting Home Depot was baloney. He might get out and about (it's well-known and agreed that he rides the Amtrack into and out of DC), but I doubt he does a lot of home improvements. And that's okay with me, just don't try to be Tim "the Toolman" Taylor!

Oh, didn't see that one coming! I thought I read that Citibank was buying part of Wachovia. Now, it looks like Wells bought them lock, stock, and barrel for $15 billion. Too bad WaMu's leadership couldn't have been better at basic negotiations! They need to never have jobs again, and with their excessive pay packages, they won't need to!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Here's a great story on the strategies Palin will be using to attack Biden (because she has nothing else to go on) and how Biden should react. I hope the Obama campaign reads this. Better yet, forget reading about it and go all Nike about it (Just Do It).

One more thing (I don't have time to go all aggro on this): Why are these things called debates? Nothing like debating goes on in these things. They should be called

De-baits

The only thing the candidates try to do is go fishing for weaknesses and get their opponents on the defensive. And it works.

And why do Conservatives insist that we shouldn't talk about winners and losers in these things? I guess nobody wants to talk about losing, which they will.

Their only "win" will be getting the stupid voters to go to the polls and vote for McAssWipe and Ms. Bates.

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Who Am I?

I subscribe to real conservatism: Small, non-intrusive government that believes in fiscal responsibility and deference to state's rights. I believe in the Constitution and everything that goes along with it, including the ability and necessity to change it when conditions warrant doing so.